I am a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. While there, I interned at Vitamin Inc. in Baltimore and was a member of MICA's Center for Design Practice. In 2008, I was invited to travel to Alabama with a team of designers from Baltimore to work on a project that received Sappi's "Ideas That Matter" grant to support a local non-profit organization called HERO.
This year, I became a member of Project M. Project M is a program dedicated to inspire young creatives that our work can have a positive impact on the world. I currently work at Pixels + Points, a design studio in Baltimore. In addition to design, I help run a small independent record label, play soccer, train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and skateboard
Alex Pines
Project M
Description: Recently a group of creative young adults gathered at Project M and realized that a common concern that negatively impacts our everyday life is the degradation of healthy and supportive communities. PieLab is a multifaceted fresh approach to address this need in the world. We realized that there are an infinitely renewable source of young adults that want to do good things. PieLab focuses this energy to boost the morale of communities in a way that is sustaining, self perpetuating, and meaningful.
In a period of two weeks, we designed three websites (PieLab, Pieromainea, Free-Pie), a typeface, over 16 short videos, buttons, t-shirts, held a "Free-Pie" event, baked more than 30 pies, started plans to open PieLab in Greensboro, Alabama, and received press from various news outlets and blogs. Since the initial two weeks, we've held Free-Pie events in Washington DC and New York City. Two more are coming up in Columbus, Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia. We've also began planning and constructing the PieLab in Alabama.
HERO
Project Type: Print + Web
Description: In November of 2008, I was invited to join a group of designers from MICA and Piece Studio to help the non-profit organization HERO in Hale County, Alabama. The project was awarded Sappi’s “Idea’s that Matter” grant. While in Alabama we participated in a M Blitz and immersed ourselves in the community. The project is still on-going but we plan on having multiple deliverables. We hope to assist HERO in helping families in Hale County realize that there are programs in place for them to buy their own homes. Here’s an article about the time we spent in Alabama from Metropolis Magazine.
Sutton House
Project Type: Print + Web
Description: Sutton House Inc is a community organization created by Ted Sutton that works specifically with young African American males in Baltimore, Maryland. He provides transitional homes, mentorship, education, and other services as an alternative to gangs. Mr. Sutton is a former gang member himself and uses his experiences to connect with at-risk youths. This publication was designed as a piece to raise his organizations visibility in the city and to tell Mr. Sutton's own story of redemption. Since the piece was made, Mr. Sutton has began speaking and working with troubled students in Baltimore City Schools. A webpage was also designed to further assist his organization.
It Follows
Project Type: Print
Description: This is a small zine which explores the relationship between hardcore punk music and graphic design. I didn't want the design to fall in to the stereotypical punk aesthetic, so I used a very structured grid for my layout. I printed it out and photocopied each spread 10 – 100 times to degrade the design slightly. I rescanned each spread and put the booklet back together and re-printed it out. The process was a play on the similarities which modernism and the hardcore movement share. I was also in a hardcore band for a little bit.
Crash
Project Type: Print
Dimensions: 129 mm x 127 mm
Description: For this project we had to choose one of JG Ballard’s novels and redesign the cover. I picked Ballard’s controversial novel Crash. The book explores the relationship between modern technology and sexuality. The final size is 129 mm x 197 mm. Check out my Process Blog for some more information.
Interactive Work
Project Type: Web
Description: I was introduced to XHTML/CSS while interning at Vitamin Inc. Since then I got really in to the whole web standards and XHTML/CSS design. Below are links to some of the webpages that I've designed and coded. In addition to XHTML/CSS, I'm also comfortable with Flash/Actionscript 2.0.
TWITTER / BLOG / FLICKR / RESUME [pdf]
Alex Pines
1521 W 36th Street
Baltimore MD 21211
E-Mail » apines1@gmail.com
Cell » 703 597 8070
Aim » alexpatrickpines